MAP Artists Juried Exhibit 2015

We had a very successful evening opening with many participating artists attending as well as several members of the community!

The evening was started with a small but wonderful talk from our local winery owner, Bob Thaden, followed with a wine tasting of 4 of their wines. After 7 pm, Sheri Jarvis started in on a splendid gallery talk about the artwork, program and awards.

Awards Given That Night Included

Best of Show: Vida Landa’s Evening With Friends

Best 3-Demensional: Tracy Isaly’s Guarding the Finch Eggs

Best 2-Dimensional: Michael Blessings’ Four Aces

Best Functional: Beverly Polk’s Daily Bits

The Montana Artrepreneur Program (MAP) is an art-centered business development program of the Montana Arts Council, taught by working artists and open to all visual artists. The program provides over 40 hours of college-level instruction by reviewing 35 practical business tools aimed at demystifying the world of business and affirming the title of “Artist” as a credible profession.

At the program’s heart is the philosophy that a sustainable career in the arts is attainable by earnestly developing one’s skill and expertise in a chosen medium, understanding and proactively engaging in the arts community, confidently articulating one’s story and purpose as an artist and deliberately seeking patrons for one’s work. With active coaching, mentor guidance and group support, artists learn to shed the notion that success only comes by being magically “discovered” and that careful planning and persistent adherence to a well-crafted set of goals and objectives are the keys to achieving their hopes of becoming a self-sustaining professional artist.

The course is comprised of four 10-hour workshops and four to six optional 2-hour workshops over the course of about 8 months depending on the individual schedules of groups’ participants. MAP also includes experiential opportunities beyond coursework including opportunities to participate in a summer museum show, a holiday indoor booth show and professional development workshops and activities. Participating in MAP requires a commitment to attend all workshops and to financially invest in one’s business of art as well as a moderate fee and application process. The Montana Artrepreneur Program has earned national acclaim and has documented impact for more than 300 artists across Montana. Artists in the program report increased sales of 86% with a net gain of up to 275%, providing proof that the program works.

For more information about MAP, please contact: Sheri Jarvis, program director, by phone: (406) 865-0884 or visit http://art.mt.gov/folklife . Applications are being accepted for the 2016 program year and the deadline to apply is December 31st of this year.